anaggie

Family of four traveling to Belize end of June with two kids (15/9) for approx 9/10 days. Flying into BZE so I have a few questions and would appreciate any and all advice.

1) how is the weather end of June? We don’t mind heat and humidity ... I just don’t want to get rained out. Rains here are there are fine .. just not all day.

2) tours from Belize city — are they day tours? Maybe jungle tours, ruins and city tours for a few days. Should we make Belize City our base until we switch to a hotel on Ambergris Caye?

3) we plan on going to the new Marriott resort in Ambergris Caye so I could take a water taxi there and back. We would do typical beach activities during that time especially snorkeling.

Any other advice would be very much appreciated.

Thanks

SanDiego1K

If you don't mind, I'm going to add another question since I am also considering Belize. Where do we get a Covid test that is required to reenter the US? Do most hotels offer this?

anaggie

I have seen that most hotels offer tests or they give you information as to where you can get them. I would also assume that they are offering antigen testing since that is quick and cheap.

shelly67

1) Usual June weather is very hot and humid and plenty of rain. However there has been increasingly odd weather patterns the last few years eg Belize has just had an unusually early, unusually hot spell with prolonged periods of temps over 100. There's obviously no guarantee on amount of rain and you could end up with rain during every day or no rain at all however, the rain is really refreshing and much needed and doesn't often last for too long. Often you can have thunderstorms late in the day and throughout the night but dry days. It is wetter in southern Belize than in the North.

2) Personally I would not stay in Belize City itself at all (for many reasons). Have a look at Ian Andersons Caves Branch. This is a great place to stay for families and they organise loads of tours and activities. They are a gold star resort and can organise transfers from the airport..... its a beautiful drive. It's right next to the Blue Hole national Park and you also have sleeping giant rainforest Lodge opposite which is also lovely but IMO not as family orientated as Caves Branch.

3) Yes the water taxis are convenient, cost effective and run quite regularly. There is also Tropicair and May Air thar fly to San Pedro and it's a lovely and short flight albeit obviously more pricey but maybe worth doing one way.

However, just a warning that the sargassum on Amergris is horrendous atm..... you may want to check that out before committing if you're not already booked. If you do change your mind then Placencia might be a good alternative for you and I believe is currently sargassum free (although worth checking).

In AC there are plenty of water based trips available eg to the blue hole, marine reserves, snorkeling near the barrier reefs etc. You could also take a day trip by water taxi (or flight) to Caye Caulker which is also well worth a visit.

HTH

shelly67

PS should also add that sometimes the rainy season arrives late so there's even the possibility that the rains may not come by June at all.

I'm not sure of arrangements for covid testing on AC or around BC but I know in Northern Belize there are very many facilties offering reasonably priced and speedy testing services so I would not imagine there would be any difficulty obtaining these in the more touristy areas.

BMWBig6

If going to Ambergris Caye via water taxi, keep in mind they can take ~1.5 hrs (plus all the time waiting for bags to be unloaded afterward) and it can get hot and uncomfortable inside the boat unless seated right near the windows up front. You could take your chances on the top deck (uncovered, so no shade and you might get rained on too). I highly recommend Tropic Air if you can swing it (their fares seemed really reasonable, even booked a couple days in advance). It's a short hop with breathtaking views, much more comfortable ride (for my family) and they have a nice air-conditioned terminal on Ambergris (no waiting around in a big line in the hot sun for your boat). There is another airline operating the same route, but only Tropic Air will let you bring or stow alcohol (if that's a factor). Enjoy your trip!

anaggie

Why wouldn’t you stay in Belize city? Too much traffic? Not safe?

We have stayed at a place similar to what you suggested in the Amazon so I will look more into it.

Thanks for the advice.

SJOGuy

You go to Belize for the beaches and the rainforests and the Mayan ruins and scuba/snorkeling and adventure tourism and the general laidback vibe. (Pick any one or combination of those.) You'll find none of them in Belize City. There isn't much to see, and the city isn't particularly safe. I write for a major guidebook publisher and work on their guide to Belize. One of my chapters is the Belize City chapter. I have no illusions. It's probably the least-read chapter of the book.

shelly67

As detailed above there's really little there of much interest. Of course there's the little tourist area around the cruise ship port which bears no resemblance to Belize whatsoever but other than that, we only ever go there for the shopping occasionally (we live in Belize part of the year) or for the airport. There are some very sketchy areas and we don't personally rate any of the hotels.

pstm91

Belize City is a place you fly into and immediately leave. It's not safe and as others pointed out, there is nothing to see there. I'm someone who usually takes it with a grain of salt when I hear people describe places like that and choose to spend a day or two anyway - Belize City is one where you should listen to that advice.
The new Alia Belize (assuming that's the new Marriott you're talking about) looks beautiful and is a great new option there. I'm not sure if it's completely done (don't think the rooftop pool/bar are open yet) so you may want to check with them.
As others mentioned, you are just going to have to chance it with the weather if you're going in June. I would recommend doing Tropic Air there and then the ferry back - you'll want to get to Ambergris faster and it's a very nice flight in.
I'd also recommend going across the country to San Ignacio if you want to see a different part of the country, Mayan ruins, etc. The roads are good and it's only about an hour and half drive from BZE.

SJOGuy

The flights in and out of BZE all seem to be bunched together between late morning and mid-afternoon. (I don't believe any international aircraft spend overnight at the airport.) You probably have time to get somewhere else after you arrive that first day. Belize is small enough.

anaggie

Thanks...we are looking in the Caves Branch like you suggested. It seems pretty neat and could work for the three nights we have free.

lamphs